Soul Man
| runtime = 104 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = | gross = $27,800,000 }} Soul Man is a 1986 American comedy film, directed by Steve Miner, starring C. Thomas Howell, Rae Dawn Chong, Arye Gross, James Earl Jones, Leslie Nielsen, James B. Sikking and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The song title refers to the 1967 Sam and Dave song "Soul Man." Plot The movie's protagonist, Mark Watson (C. Thomas Howell) is the pampered son from a rich family who is about to attend Harvard Law School along with his best friend Gordon (Arye Gross). Unfortunately, his father's neurotic psychiatrist talks his patient into having more fun for himself instead of spending money on his son. Faced with the horrifying prospect of having to pay for law school by himself, Mark decides to take up a scholarship, but the only suitable one is for African-Americans only. He decides to cheat by using tanning pills in a larger dose than prescribed to appear as an African-American. Watson then sets out for Harvard, naïvely believing that blacks have no problems at all in American society. However, once immersed in a black student's life, Mark finds that people are less lenient than he imagined and more prone to see him as a black person instead of a fellow student. He meets a young African-American student named Sarah Walker (Rae Dawn Chong), whom he first only flirts with; gradually, however, he genuinely falls in love with her. As it turns out, she was the original candidate for the scholarship which he had usurped, and now she has to work hard as a waitress to support herself and her son George while studying. Slowly, Mark begins to regret his deed, and after a chaotic day in which Sarah, his parents (who are not aware of his double life) and his classmate Whitney (Melora Hardin), who is also his landlord's daughter make surprise visits at the same time. He drops the charade and openly reveals himself to be white. The film ends with Mark declaring to his professor (Jones) that he wishes to pay back the scholarship and do charity work to make amends for his fraud. When asked what he has learned, he says that he realizes that he could have changed back to being white at any time and so does not really know what it means to be black. Sarah decides to give him another chance and the movie ends with him deciding to just work his way through college. Cast *C. Thomas Howell as Mark Watson *Rae Dawn Chong as Sarah Walker *Arye Gross as Gordon Bloomfeld *James Earl Jones as Professor Banks *Melora Hardin as Whitney Dunbar *Leslie Nielsen as Mr. Dunbar *Ann Walker as Mrs. Dunbar *James Sikking as Bill Watson *Max Wright as Dr. Aronson *Jeff Altman as Ray McGrady *Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lisa Stimson Production The filming dates for "Soul Man" began on March 24, 1986. The filming locations took place at Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. Controversy "Soul Man" was widely criticized for featuring a Caucasian actor wearing blackface and when it was released, protests in the black community took place. Reception Box Office Despite the controversy, "Soul Man" debuted at #3 at the box office, grossing $4,422,179 during its opening weekend, coming in behind Crocodile Dundee and The Color of Money. Domestically, the film grossed $27,820,000. Critical Reception On Rotten Tomatoes, "Soul Man" was given a 14% rating based on 22 reviews with an average rating of 3\10. Its audience score was 33% based on 2.6\5 ratings. The film was given negative reviews by critics. Roger Ebert gave the film one star, saying the film's main premise is "a generally interesting idea, filled with dramatic possibilities, but the movie approaches it on the level of a dim-witted sitcom". The New York Times' Janet Maslin said that the film has a "breezy, unapologetic manner". The Washington Post said, "Overall, "Soul Man" is virtually a beginner's guide of how not to direct a movie, from the way the music adds nothing to the mood or excitement, to the editing rhythms that leave huge holes for laughs where none are forthcoming, to the lugubrious pace and clumsy farce staging, and on and on". Category:1986 films Category:1980s films Category:1980s comedy films Category:New World Pictures films Category:American comedy films